China clean sweeps competition in Team Acrobatic

The People’s Republic of China has completed a clean sweep of the Team Technical, Team Free, and Team Acrobatic routines, to claim gold in the Mixed Team event at Paris 2024. Taking a 69.42 point lead into the final night of competition, China top scored with 283.6934 points in the Team Acrobatic routine to finish well clear in the gold medal position on 996.1389 points.

The United States of America recovered from a fourth-placed finish in the Team Technical on night one to claim the silver medal, with their 271.3166 points in the Team Acrobatic enough to secure the nation’s first medal in the Team event since Athens 2004. In a tight battle for Bronze, Spain finished on 900.7319 points, holding off home nation France who delivered the third highest scoring routine on the final night to finish the competition on 886.6487 points.

Tonight’s Team Acrobatic routine was the first time this event was part of the Olympic program, with the three-minute routine allowing athletes and coaches to use a different skillset to showcase their creativity, power, and strength in the water. The declared difficulty and the difficulty score of the routine is solely based on acrobatics. Hybrids performed in this routine are reflected in the artistic impression score.

Overall, acrobatics are split into four groups: airborne, balance, combined, and platform. For the acrobatic routine, seven acrobatics are required, and at least one from each of these groups must be featured. Teams are free to perform hybrids, but with no declared difficulty assigned, they do not count towards the difficulty score. The Team Acrobatic is the lowest scoring of the three routines on the Paris 2024 program.

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA took the honours for the third night in a row, scoring 283.6934 points with a 27.3000 DD routine. They again outscored all teams on both Elements (192.2434) and Artistic Impression (91.4500). Their ‘Light of Life’ routine has been a work in progress since 2022, with the Zhang Xiaohuan and Ana Tarres coached team finally achieving China’s first gold medal in the Team event at the Olympics after three consecutive silver medals. China finished in first place overall on 996.1389 points.

“Last time I participated in the Olympics alone, but this time, I am participating with my sister. I just told my sister that standing on the podium feels completely different from last time. This time, my sister is standing next to me. Although it is still a team event, having my sister by my side makes me happier than last time, especially since we won the gold medal,” said China’s Wang Liuyu.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA secured their first medal in Artistic Swimming since Athens 2004 with a 271.3166 score in the Team Acrobatic from their 26.600 DD ‘The Sorceresses’ routine. The routine holds a special place for Team USA as it was devised on tour by the current team just a couple of months ago at the Markham stop of the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup. Speaking prior to the competition, Coach Andrea Fuentes explained “I had two other themes, but I gave the choice to the team, and we chose together. I thought we were all very excited, and we did it in only five or six days, it was very fast. It’s the only routine that was really made by the people who’s are going to swim it, and I think we’re extremely proud of it because it was a very beautiful process of creation.” Team USA’s score in the Team Acrobatic was enough to win silver, finishing second on 914.3421 points.

“It honestly feels pretty surreal, just qualifying was already such a big accomplishment, so to be here with this team, and this medal around our necks, is just something that is so special. Honestly, I don’t think it has hit us yet. It is so hard to believe, and we are just so excited for each other,” said the United States’ Jaime Czarkowski.

 SPAIN finished their Olympic campaign with 267.1200 points in the Team Acrobatic from their 26.950 DD ‘One Shot One Opportunity’ routine. In musical terms, their mash-up of Andre Rieu’s O Fortuna and Eminem’s Lose Yourself should not work, however it did, and in every which way. Their synchronicity to the lyrics “Look, if you had, one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, one moment, would you capture it, or just let it slip?” was perfection. And capture the moment they did, winning bronze, finishing third overall on 900.7319 points.

“I have been in the national team for almost eight years. It has been very hard work for many years, and I think this medal reflects how united we are as a team. Today has been spectacular. From the moment we got up, it has been unique, and enjoying this with my team has been incredibly special,” said Spain’s Blanca Toledano.

FRANCE brought the Moulin Rouge to St Denis’ Olympic Aquatics Centre on the final night of the team event with their ‘Cancan’ routine. Boasting the highest degree of difficulty, the 27.950 DD routine placed third on the night with 268.8001 points. The French cancan was prominent throughout - on deck, in the water, and even in the crowd. The routine, developed specifically for the Olympic Games, was developed to celebrate the nation’s identity, telling World Aquatics “we changed our acrobatic after the test event in May… we thought that the previous one was not French enough.” France finished fourth overall on 886.6487 points.

“I could hear the whole crowd behind us, you could hear it, and feel it, and we could breathe all that support in to put in our best possible performance for the judges,” said France’s Anastasia Bayandina.

JAPAN were seventh on the final night, with 252.7533 points from their 26.900 DD ‘Alligator’ routine seeing their overall ranking slip behind Spain and France. Japan finished fifth overall on 880.6841 points.

“We tried to put on our best performance, and I want to thank our coaches and my teammates for the support,” said Japan’s Megumu Yoshida.

 CANADA took on one of the hardest routines of Team Acrobatic scoring 253.0567 points with their ‘Hip-Hop Classics’ 27.250 DD routine. Snoop Dogg might not have been in the house on Wednesday night, but his piano hip-hop anthem The Next Episode with Dr Dre got the crowd on their feet. The routine was put together by Claudia Holzner, herself a former swimmer on Canada’s national team, with music from the 2021 Superbowl half-time show and choreography developed with the assistance of a hip-hop teacher. The Team Acrobatic is full of surprises, and this routine was definitely full of surprises; from the banquine into 50 Cent’s In Da Club, to a flex palm-to-palm to the opening piano riff of Still DRE. Canada definitely brought the attitude to the Olympics Aquatic Centre tonight! Canada finished sixth overall on 859.2229 points.

“It was magical, we have our whole families up in the crowd and we can see red all over the stadium. Our team has been through so much together, so this moment really helped us close and finish our long journey together in such a beautiful way,” said Canada’s Claire Scheffel.

MEXICO placed fifth in the Team Acrobatic with their 26.950 DD ‘Matlalcueye’ routine. Having bounced backed from a basemark in their Team Technical on night one, Mexico have been at their best over the final two nights scoring 263.4567 points for this evening’s routine. Opening with a kaleidoscope formation, the routine was a celebration of the Mexican goddess of the waters and navigation in Nahuatl culture, with the team saying “we want to show the power of our culture and to empower all the women’s to fight for who they want to be.” The music had the crowd in awe, transitioning from the transcendental electro-house of Argy’s Aria to Armin van Buuren and Vini Vici’s Great Spirit, while integrating acrobatic elements with great height and difficulty. It has been 28 years since Mexico last competed in the team event at the Olympics, and they will return home as a proud and united team placing seventh overall on 853.7932 points.

ITALY were eighth on the final night scoring 241.9866 with their 26.450 DD ‘The Venice Carnevale’ routine, to place eighth overall on 845.9670 points.

AUSTRALIA placed tenth in the Team Acrobatic scoring 211.9766 points with their 25.400 DD ‘Cheerleading’ routine. The Australian team matched their Tokyo 2020 result placing ninth overall on 728.4358 points.

EGYPT finished ninth in the Team Acrobatic with 219.2267 points for their 24.650 DD ‘African’ routine to the Lion King’s Circle of Life. Egypt placed tenth overall on 705.9814 points.